No CV19 info on this thread!

42’ish cut, $2,500’ish price range....

Craftsman Z510 at the top of the list now, what say the fire?

We have a Grasshopper, it cost $10,000.

My hills are too steep for one.

Go with whatever you’re best dealer locally sells.

There isn’t a brand out there that’s stands above the rest.

I have a Toro zero turn for 3 years now, same deck size, I use it to mow 3-4 lawns per week and it cost 3k...

Past a flat tire to 2 it’s been a great mower.

The important thing with operating a zero turn mower is to practice the official posture and look. You must sit bolt up-right and never move a muscle save for the almost imperceptible movement of hand on lever and adopt a steely, straight-ahead gaze, never turning your head left nor right.

I am not specifically familiar with that Craftsman model. My one issue is that I didn't want a stamped sheet metal mower deck...had too many rust out and fall apart on me. I wanted a welded plate steel mower deck. A lot of the John Deere and Troy Bilt / Craftsman models in that price range use stamped decks.

I bought a Hustler Raptor 52" with the Kawasaki power plant for $3k (new). They offer a smaller version in your price range if I remember correctly. Watch local ads for a good used machine as well.

Not that 1 year is a huge amount of time invested, but after having this Hustler since last spring, I can say I have been happy with it and would buy the same machine again for my needs (4 acres, mix of lawn, shrubs, trees and wooded tree line). So far, all I have had to do to it is blow the cutting debris off and will do an oil change in a few weeks.

Sounds great. Just remember zero-turn's don't work on hills.

Rookie status right there. I’ve shot guns off them,sent text,watched YouTube clips, and most importantly flipped off other guys on the crew.

TRUTH!

Why the heck would I turn my head left or right when I can accomplish that with the levers?

Stihl??


Good luck finding one that suits your needs. I always wanted to drive one.

Geno

PS, but what do I know, I use a push battery operated one. Any more grass than I have and I want to get livestock, not ride around 1/2 a day mowing.

They work better on hills in real life than they do on the internet.

The best part when you get on your first zero turn is the VERY steep learning curve to operating it.

I remember doing some detail cutting around my barn and boat...got hung and had the trailer tongue pinned hard against the mower's gas tank filler neck. Had probably only been on the mower for 5 minutes and I still remember thinking "How the F*** did I do this???"

And then I remember asking myself "Okay, which way do I pull on these levers to get out of this predicament without breaking something on a brand new $3k piece of equipment????"

Once you get past that though, they are pretty cool to run around your yard on.

The trick on hills is to go up and down the incline spinning at the top and bottom and not go across the incline.

@ war eagle - saw that model, looked pretty stout.


What’s this thing about hills? I’d think it’d be better than a standard Hank Hill riding mower. Not so?

Almost all residential mowers are built by MTD these days. Find something sold locally with the features you like.

Friend who has had several different models says that one of the important things to look for is if the deck can be tilted up for cleaning.

On a zero turn mower, the transmissions are key. The more heavy duty the transmissions, the more pricey the mower.

A company named Hydro Gear manufactures the transmissions for about 90% of the zero turn mowers.

The 2200 series will be found on most zero turn mowers in the $2800-$3500 range.

From there they move up to the 2800 series, then the 3100 series.

Once you get above a mower with 3100 transmissions, you start getting into the commercial mowers.

Hydro gear's page will fill you in.

https://www.hydro-gear.com/who-we-are/

My mower is a John Deere 1475 4wd Diesel 7' Irons deck. I got this after several zero-turn mowers. I have a lot of slopes to deal with. I don't want a mower with three blades chasing me down the hill.

I have a Husqvarna that was rated as heavy duty residential-light commercial, Kohler engine, 3100 Hydro-Gear Transmission, and the heavy deck. It has given great service in the over 5 years that I've had it. If I was looking at a new one, I'd check out Gravely first.

Got a 55 in.last year it is a Kubota.

Cost to get it to my house was 5,117.00.

Used it several times last year and it cut my mowing time down by 2/3.

When i got it out just the other day to mow the weeds all it took was a few spins to light off.

Best thing for me is i don't get beat up using it.

And always use gas with NO alcohol in it,NONE.

That crap will kill any small engine.Z121S is the model that i got.

Love it

I'm using a 52" Hustler Raptor Limited to mow about 4 acres now. It's equipped with the 2200 series transmissions and really isn't heavy duty enough for 4 acres. But it's done a good job for me over the past 2 seasons.

Cub Cadet came out with this model last year with the 2800 series transmissions and a Kawasaki motor. It seems like a very well equipped zero turn for the $3700 price range.

https://www.americanpridepower.com/...ET-ZERO-TURN-RIDING-MOWER-ULTIMA-ZT2-50/

I liked the way you could use the foot pedal to raise the deck over roots and what not.

What ever you buy, make sure it has a Kawasaki engine. You might research engines before pulling the pin.

Welded deck and good transmission were my 2 big requirements. There’s some models that offer some of the heavier duty features without going full commercial

The Hustler I saw had that engine.

+1 on the Gravely. Same mower as Ariens, but a different color.

Almost bought one, but got a good deal on a new SKAG.

The ‘look’ for a ztr mower

Is:


Must weigh >300 lbs
Have a Coors light cap, on backwards, w/novelty fishing hook in the bill
Facial hair that looks like a cat’s ass
Cintas uniform work shirt with “CATFISH” on the name panel
Bill Dance fishin sunglasses
Wear cargo shorts that come down to ‘mid cankle’
Kmart, western steer $35 work boots high tops (meet the cuff of cargo shorts

Technique: mow in Balls to the Wall speed aka Rabbit
Mow with deliberate intent, enough to make man titts jiggle

16bore: We bought the American made John Deere top of the line 54" zero turn lawn mover with optional "power bagger".
Had it two years now and it was the best $7,500.00 "we" have ever spent!
Suffer (cry - and I did!) once and enjoy the larger American made zero turn mower.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Seconding the Kawasaki motor, They are a tough motor my Toro is on its tenth year of cutting about five acres . As said before no ethanol and every year or two pull shroud off and degrease and clean cooling fins. They make cutting a breeze even if your tits do jiggle.

You won"t get much in a ZTR in that price range.Kubota,Scag,Ferris,Grasshopper to name a few with a price range $8,000 to $13,000.Buy once cry once.

Skag Cheetah 72" deck, Kawasaki engine. Been using it for 5 years. Only oil change and service and blades. Does a good job.

After serious consideration of my lawn growing season, and penciling out all related maintenance, fuel usage etc. required...
Valuing my labor at zero, a contracted out service came in at par with the expenses involved in the purchase and maintenance of a quality lawn mower...

I bought a 60 inch Hustler Super Z last year and its been great so far. I'd recommend Hustler and I'd also recommend getting the torsion forks on the front. They soak up the bumps and make for a super smooth ride. And I'd also recommend the Kawi motor as well.

Just curious, how much grass are you cutting.

In that price range I would imagine all decks will be stamped.

I would look at comfort of the seat. If you are cutting less than an acre of manicured lawn, comfort is somewhat important. I am cutting 14 acres of country yard, seat comfort was extremely important to me.

I bought a used Exmark from a guy getting out of the commercial business. It’s a 2004 model. I bought in 2010. $3000 then and it’s a tank. I’ve casually looked at the various ZTRs at the box stores since having this mower. They all look like lightweight toys comparatively. If you’re in a subdivision on a smooth lot, probably they work fine. I live on a rock pile that has nothing smooth about it. The Exmark has taken care of me. Takes about 2 hours to mow the couple acres I mow once a week. From now into October.

John Deere

The Hustler / Kawasaki has pretty much been the one that’s caught my attention best. Good news is a buddy texted that he and a friend started a lawncare company, so the problem mighta just taken care of itself!

Love it when a plan comes together.....

Exmark has done me well. Solid machine. Sold a JD 755 with finish mower to get into the Exmark. Hills are very manageable with a little experience. Would buy another in a heartbeat. Quality of cut is better than old mower and shaved considerable time off of mowing job.

I put off a ZTR purchase for years because of that learning curve. When I rode one I felt like an absolute retard. When voicing my concern, the local dealer told me “Use the exact same motions as you use pushing a shopping cart.” It was a watershed moment. It clicked immediately in my head and I cut grass with my Gravely mower like I’d been using it for ten years. Amazing...one sentence blew up my mental block.

I have a good local dealer that sells Skag brand mowers and they seem to be very well built. Anyone here have any experience with them ? ? ?

I wouldnt buy anything from Craftsman, nothing... never know where the company will be tomorrow or who will own what. Good luck with the warranty, and or finding the specific part without the need to cross reference a thousand things.

After the first spin around the yard with my zero turn, knocking down about 1/3 of my split rail fencing, I came to the conclusion that I should hold off on mowing around the pond until I had a few more hours of operating experience.

As mentioned before-61" Kubota diesel with the commercial deck. I mow stumps, T post, and other things. Bought it in 2003 and change filters and fluids as scheduled and several sets of blades.
Unless Kawasaki has made a design change, they have valve seat problems.

Toro timecutter 42" cut. Been having it for 20 years, replaced front tires once, back tires need to be changed (getting slick), however still cuts great. Changed oil once a summer and a battery about every 5 years. Best $2499 I ever spent on a lawnmower.

Also second the Kawasaki engine. Mine came with a Kohler 20 years ago, but on my duck hunting motor (prodrive) I swapped out my Briggs with a Kawasaki 37and its a beast.

I have a lower end commercial Hustler with a Kawi engine. It is a bit of overkill for my property but I wanted the commercial grade transmission (ZT3400) since part of the property is pretty hilly. No problems in the 4 years I've owned it. You can mow pretty hilly stuff with a ZT if you take your time and use the right technique.

I have a Kubota ZG 23 with a Kohler engine that I bought new around 2004. It has seen a lot of use and abuse, ended up in the pond once among other things. I did a little work on the stamped deck and had the base gasket changed about a year ago. It is still cutting about 1 1/2 acres a week.

My main mower is a an ExMark Lazer Z-X series. It is basically their most commercial model. 35 horsepower Kohler engine, 60” welded deck made of 3/16 and 10 gauge plate, a hydraulic seat that is very comfortable, their RED technology, giant spindles, everything is heavy duty. It is a beast.

Expensive but worth it.

Check out some of the brands used in places like Florida where they get 12 month use.
No doubt landscaping is one of the biggest industries in the south.
For sure they all use zero turn mowers. i

I've had a Toro since 2015 --- 42"cut with 22 HP,. Cut my mowing time in half from my old John Deere 111. It's been perfect --- It DOES get rim leaks in the Wintertime; I slime them.

I never use any ethanol fuel in it. Change the oil every 50 hours (at 10 hours the first time). Bought a cheap hour meter and installed it.

I'd buy another.

Walker. One and done.

We had a Cub Cadet zero turn, and it was pretty good. Replaced it with an X-Mark, and it is MUCH better! We mow 3 acres, but it's all flat lawn.

Mike Holmes

I have used a Hustler Raptor SD at church for about 5 years. It was an amazing improvement over the Husqvarna tractor I had been using. When I finally bought one for myself I went to the Hustler dealer and came home with a Bobcat. I like it much better. Mine is a 48 inch deck model. We have some tight spots that a larger model would not get through.

Who wants a mower that doesn't turn?

Have a 60" Gravely it has worked flawlessly since the day I unloaded it.
I know people that have 42"ers they have had the same reliability.
Great seat platform less slamming around much easier on backs.

My brother has an Ariens and loves it.

The town I work in has a fleet of Skags for their parks. A couple coworkers have Skags and have nothing but good to say about them. I've seen a couple commercial mowing crews using Skags as well.

Cub Cadet Pro-Z 960 here. Steering wheel version. I love it! Tried different lap bar mowers but we just have too many hills and obstacles. Suppose I could have managed with bars. Control of the front tires much easier for our situation though.

We have used Ferris, Skag and John Deere where I work. If I was just mowing a yard of up to 5 acres, the Ferris would be my choice due to the suspension ride and pretty nice cut. They just couldn't take the commercial level abuse that our staff put them through. We had to replace pumps constantly. We then went with Skag, and they are well built machines. The only trouble that we had was the occasional bent bolt on the decks. Our dealer passed away and the next closest dealer was three counties away and had terrible customer service. We now run John Deere and are happy with them. They are the easiest to pull maintenance on, and they have a nice cut, but are a little taller than the other two, so they feel a little squirrelly on hills. They also have that expensive green paint, but we have an excellent dealer a few miles away. There's my experience FWIW